Former Utah Basketball Star Branden Carlson A Big Mover In New NBA Re-Draft

SALT LAKE CITY—On Friday, Bleacher Report released a re-draft of the 2024 NBA Draft, and former Utah basketball star Branden Carlson was a major beneficiary.

Carlson went unselected but ultimately landed with the Toronto Raptors as an undrafted free agent.

After signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this season, Carlson has made enough of an impression to warrant significant reconsideration of his value and potential impact in the league.

Branden Carlson Goes 1st Round In NBA Re-Draft

Carlson has appeared in 15 games for the Thunder this season after originally being signed on November 16, 2024. On January 16, he scored a career-high 11 points and grabbed four game rebounds in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. He averaged 3.1 points and 1.7 rebounds in 6.3 minutes per contest with the Thunder.

Just last week, Carlson signed a Two-Way Contract, allowing him to play for the Thunder and their G-League affiliate, the OKC Blue. In five starts for the Blue, Carlson has averaged 15.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.20 blocks in 25.6 minutes per contest.

All of that has benefitted Carlson’s perceived value and projection in the league.  In this re-draft, Carlson was selected No. 28 overall by the Denver Nuggets, which would be a rather interesting situation to have landed in. Here’s what Bleacher Report had to say of the former Runnin’ Ute:

“In the ultra-limited minutes Branden Carlson has logged for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season, he’s proven to be an active defender around the basket and a viable threat from beyond the arc.

Chances of him becoming a floor-spacing, rim-protecting household name are, of course, slim. But the end of the first round is for risk-taking. Especially when we’re dealing with players less than one season into their careers.

It doesn’t necessarily matter whether Carlson actualizes the unicorn archetype, just that his skillset is cut from that mold at all.” – Bleacher Report

Former Utah Basketball Star

The 7-foot, 220-pound Carlson enjoyed a stellar collegiate career at Utah. Carlson averaged 17 points and 6.6 rebounds per game last season, while shooting just over 50% from the field and 37.4% from 3-point range.

He ended his time as the all-time leader in blocks (241) and games played (146) while also finishing top five in defensive rebounds (618) and scoring (1,892). Carlson also notched 2023-24 All-Pac 12 First Team honors for the second consecutive season in a row.

The former Ute center will go down as one of the best players in program history.

How To Watch Utah Basketball Vs. Kansas

Date: Saturday, February 15, 2025

Tip-Off: 8:00 pm (MST)

TV: ESPN

Online: WatchESPN.com

Dave Flemming and Sean Farnham return to Salt Lake City to call the action from the Jon M. Huntsman Center as the Runnin’ Utes and Jayhawks square off for just the third time in program history.

Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.

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